Courtauld / Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:34:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 Discovering Medieval Art: Close, Curious, and Open-Ended Looking /news-blogs/2026/talking-pictures-student-blog/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:34:02 +0000 /?p=169245 The post Discovering Medieval Art: Close, Curious, and Open-Ended Looking appeared first on Courtauld.

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By Hannah BuckleyÌę

MA History of Art:ÌęTalking Pictures: Images and Ideas in Medieval Art, 1000-1300

Coming from an academic background in English Literature and modern art, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Talking Pictures: Images and Ideas in Medieval Art, 1000-1300. Although I was very interested in medieval art and excited by the prospect of studying it, I initially worried that I lacked the historical grounding or familiarity with its visual conventions to fully engage with the material or keep up with my cohort. Luckily, I was wrong, and these concerns quickly disappeared. What the course revealed, above all, was not how much I didn’t know, but how much medieval art invites close, curious, and open-ended looking.

Taught by Dr Teresa Lane, Talking Pictures explores the relationship between text and image in the Middle Ages, asking how visual forms conveyed meaning, narrative, and social and theological ideas. Consisting of a mix of on-site seminars and off-site trips, the course examines the intersection of the visual and the verbal through a vividly diverse range of subjects and media. Beginning with illuminated manuscripts and gradually expanding to encompass sculpture, metalwork, stained glass, and architecture, the course offered a carefully structured introduction to the period. This progression—from the intimacy of manuscript pages to the scale of cathedrals—allowed us to build confidence in recognising motifs, styles, and visual strategies across different media. Moving from historiated initials to grand wall paintings, it was exciting to recognise visual languages across contexts and to realise how much we had absorbed through this progression.

Manuscripts in a glass display case in the V&A museum.
Manuscripts at the Victoria and Albert Museum

One of the most valuable aspects of the course was its emphasis on close looking. Each week centred on a specific object, manuscript, or site, supported by focused readings and seminar discussions, allowing us to fully grasp the material before applying it ourselves. This framework made what initially seemed like a vast and daunting period feel manageable and coherent. I remember, at the start of the course, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the material; a few months later, I found myself able to look at a stained glass window and identify familiar iconography and motifs. This method also encouraged active engagement, often through presentations, fostering both collaboration and a shared sense of discovery within the group.

Semester One introduced us to late Anglo-Saxon art, particularly through the study of monumental manuscript bibles and richly illustrated texts. Examining works such as gospel books and psalters, we explored the relationship between image and text, not simply as illustration and explanation, but as intertwined systems of meaning. This idea continued to develop as we moved beyond manuscripts to consider architecture and liturgical objects, particularly in the context of Anglo-Norman England. Visiting cathedrals such as Winchester and Canterbury brought these ideas to life, allowing us to see how visual language operated not only on the page but within physical and devotional spaces. Medieval objects can sometimes feel distant when encountered in isolation, removed from their original setting, but visiting these sites contextualised and grounded what we had been studying. The relationship between image, space, and the viewer became much more tangible, and walking in the footsteps of those we had been studying was invaluable!

A gold, domed ceiling, painted with saints and angels
12th century wall paintings in the Holy Sepulchre Chapel at Winchester Cathedral

The second semester shifted focus to the wider European context, exploring art produced in context of the Crusades and broader historical change. Looking at manuscripts such as the Apocalypse, alongside works like the Bayeux Tapestry, we considered how images could shape historical narratives, at times (in certain perspectives) even taking precedence over text. This raised fascinating questions about authority, interpretation, and the power of visual storytelling, and let us apply learnt themes and frameworks onto objects and artwork.

A defining feature of the course was its emphasis on first-hand engagement with objects. Our visits to institutions such as Lambeth Palace Library, the British Library, Temple Church, the Wyvern Collection, and the V&A were invaluable. At Lambeth Palace Library, we examined manuscripts including the MacDurnan Gospels and the Lambeth Apocalypse up close. Seeing these works in person, observing the texture of material, the scale of the pages, and the vibrancy of pigments, transformed our understanding of them. These were not simply images reproduced in books or on our screens, but physical objects designed to be handled, viewed, and experienced in specific ways. Being based in London, we are fortunate to have such institutions on our doorstep, but it was the teaching and contextual knowledge that allowed us to see these objects in a new light, deepening how we interacted with and understood them.

A small book rests on black cloth on a table. The book is open to a page of medieval writing, and a small, golden image of Christ on the cross. Next to the book is a worksheet from the Courtauld Institute.
A scene of the Passion in the Mac Durnan Gospels at Lambeth Palace Library

A highlight of the course was the study trip to Paris. Visiting sites such as Notre-Dame, the MusĂ©e de Cluny, and the Basilica of Saint-Denis provided an opportunity to engage directly with some of the most significant monuments of medieval art. These visits reinforced the course’s central themes, particularly the interplay between visual form, narrative, and meaning across different contexts and media.

The knave of a church, with a blue tiled floor, stained glass, and an altar table.
Inside the Basilica of Saint-Denis, Paris

Beyond developing visual and analytical skills, Talking Pictures also encouraged us to think critically about the processes behind the making, preservation, and interpretation of art. Questions of patronage, artistic identity, and the transmission of ideas were woven throughout the course, alongside discussions of historiography and methodology. This combination of close looking and broader critical perspectives helped situate individual objects within larger intellectual, theological, and social frameworks. Over the course of the unit, we learnt how to apply our personal perspective, critical and scholarly debates, historical context and visual analysis to fully grasp these medieval artworks and how they were received!

The unit also fostered a collaborative and supportive learning environment. Our cohort brought a range of academic backgrounds and specific knowledge interests, enriching discussions and creating a space in which ideas could be shared openly. This encouraged collective exploration and mutual support throughout the course, and curated an area of communal engagement and conversation.

Students peer at enamel relic boxes and depictions of Christ on the cross in a display case, seeming to discuss the objects.
Looking at enamel work in the Musée de Cluny, Paris

Looking back, Talking Pictures fundamentally changed the way I approach not just medieval art, but history and art in general. It has shown me that understanding a period and its produce is not simply about mastering a fixed body of knowledge, but about developing the tools to ask meaningful questions: how images work, how they communicate, and how they were experienced. The unit not only deepened my appreciation of medieval visual culture, but also gave me greater confidence in engaging with complex material across disciplines which I will continue to use even post graduation. Academically and intellectually enriching, it was also an immensely enjoyable experience, and one in which every seminar and trip felt genuinely rewarding to be part of.

A group of smiling students stand outside an ornate door, pointing at a particular relief on it
Our Cohort outside Saint-Denis, Paris!

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]]> A life full of colour: Barbara Hepworth /news-blogs/2026/a-life-full-of-colour-barbara-hepworth/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:45:04 +0000 /?p=171251 The post A life full of colour: Barbara Hepworth appeared first on Courtauld.

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You might know Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) through her pioneering abstract sculptures, incorporating light and space into her works of wood, stone, and bronze. She pierces solid forms with empty space, surprising materials, and bold colour, especially in her works from the 1940s and 1950s. But do you know how she got there?

To celebrate our current exhibition The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, read on to explore Hepworth’s life and legacy.

Early Life

Born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1903, Hepworth showed early artistic promise. By her late teens, she had secured a scholarship to study at the Leeds School of Art in 1920, before also winning a county scholarship to attend the Royal College of Art in London. Her upbringing in Yorkshire would stay with her throughout her career, feeding her sensitivity to the colours and textures of the natural world.

Hepworth’s time at the RCA

Barbara Hepworth joined the Royal College of Art in 1921, supported by a West Riding of Yorkshire County Art Scholarship from the region in which she had grown up. During her studies in London, she lived in lodgings and, on graduating, intended to become either a “teacher or a sculptor”. She graduated from from Sculpture at the RCA in 1923, alongside Henry Moore.

The reports preserved in the RCA Special Collections reveal a young artist of evident promise, though one whose gifts were not always straightforwardly recognised by her tutors.

In her first year, she was described as “an able designer and good draughtswoman” with “excellent abilities”; the report concluded that she was a “very good student”. By her second year, her tutors noted that she “showed considerable talent”, had “made great progress in life work”, and that her design was “good” and her “carving improving”. But later assessments struck a more cautious note, potentially impacted by a period of illness in 1924.

Despite these mixed assessments, the RCA offered Hepworth a formative space in which to test, refine and pursue her emerging sculptural language.

The RCA archive also hints at her wider life as a student. She seems to have thrown herself into the social and cultural life of the College: one RCA student magazine records “Miss Hepworth’s charming dancing” at a student ball, accompanied by a photograph of her in fancy dress.

Together, these archival documents offer a vivid glimpse of Hepworth before the certainty of reputation: a young artist whose talent was visible, if not always fully understood, and whose time at the RCA formed part of the early ground from which her extraordinary career would grow.

Blog excerpt with thanks to the Royal College of Art. Find out more about the RCA’s .

Barbara Hepworth (front row, second from left) at the Chelsea Arts Ball c.1923, attended during her time at the Royal College of Art. Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive.
Barbara Hepworth (front row, second from left) at the Chelsea Arts Ball c.1923, attended during her time at the Royal College of Art. Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive.
Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive
Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive
Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive
Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive
Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive
Courtesy of the Royal College of Art archive

 

After finishing her studies, Hepworth continued to thrive. In 1924, she was the runner-up for the Prix de Rome sculpture scholarship, which was won by her contemporary John Skeaping. Her competition relief earned her a West Riding Travel Scholarship which she used to travel to Italy, visiting Rome, Siena and Florence and developing her skills in stone carving.

Experimenting with colour

Hepworth began incorporating colour into her work in 1939, andÌęcolour would continue to have a significant presence in her work across her artistic career.

Colour to Hepworth was more than just adding bold pops of paint. She had been drawn towards the natural colours of her favourite materials (wood and stone), and also to strikingly coloured materials. Meticulously documented in her sculpture records, for instance, is an extensive array of colourful stones: blue Armenian marble, blue Hornton stone and blue Ancaster stone; brown Hornton stone; green marble; grey Cumberland stone with grey alabaster; black, pink and white alabaster; green and white onyx; and white marble.

a wooden abstract sculpture featuring an oval form with pale blue and red painted surfaces, intersected by strings and mounted on a painted wooden base.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, 1943, Wood, paint and strings on a painted wooden base. Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield), Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Image © The Hepworth Wakefield. Photo: Mark Heathcote.

As her sculpture became more abstract, Hepworth began formulating her earliest thoughts on colour in print. In her first published text for the magazine of the international association of abstract artists called Abstraction-Creation: art non-figuratif (1933), she placed colour alongside musical and mathematics as modes of expression that express a pure, eternal, and all-powerful beauty.

Living and working alongside the painter Ben Nicholson from the early 1930s, based at their studio at 7, The Mall, Hampstead also sharpened her colour sense.

When Hepworth finally applied colour to sculpture, it wasn’t as decoration, but as a structural and spatial device. When asked why she painted her sculpture, she would often explain that her colour was the equivalent of light falling across a surface. This was not in an analytical way, as Paul °äĂ©łúČčČÔČÔ±đ or Georges Seurat would have meant it, but rather to do with the experience and feeling of light. In this sense, colour was about sensation and embodied memory: to “establish the mood of place and time”, as she wrote in 1966.

Black and white photograph of Hepworth carving Eidos, a round sculpture, in her studio in Cornwall.
Hepworth carving Eidos at Chy-an-Kerris, c. 1947. Bowness Archive.
Hepworth carving Eidos at Chy-an-Kerris, c. 1947. Bowness Archive.
A marble sculpture with sweeping spherical curves, and a yellow dot in the centre. It sits on a marble plinth and dramatic lighting casts a strong shadow against a dark background.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Eidos, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with the assistance of the Samuel E. Wills Bequest to commemorate the retirement of Dr E. Westbrook, Director of Arts for Victoria, 1981 © Bowness. Photo: Predrag Cancar / NGV. Image courtesy National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Eidos, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with the assistance of the Samuel E. Wills Bequest to commemorate the retirement of Dr E. Westbrook, Director of Arts for Victoria, 1981 © Bowness. Photo: Predrag Cancar / NGV. Image courtesy National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Colour and Cornwall: Hepworth’s wartime practice

When Hepworth and Nicholson left London for Cornwall just before war was declared in 1939, she only mentioned taking one sculpture with her to safety – her plaster model, Sculpture with Colour, White, Blue and Red StringsÌę(1939). Wartime Cornwall, for all its material hardships, proved to be a defining period; the landscape – its sea light, caves, its blues and greens and greys – transformed her visual vocabulary.

Writing to her friend Leslie Martin in May 1940, she outlined the importance of form and colour:

“I actually think I have discovered how to use both [colour and form] together to achieve a new power & experience & I have discovered certain laws. I don’t think anybody has done it before – to my knowledge it has always been coloured sculpture. You have done it in relation to architecture. There’s a lot of work to be done & I only hope there will be time. Because I think it has a direct bearing on a sort of pooled effort of architecture sculpture & sociology.”

a wooden abstract sculpture featuring an oval form with pale blue and red painted surfaces, intersected by strings and mounted on a painted wooden base.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, 1943, Wood, paint and strings on a painted wooden base. Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield), Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Image © The Hepworth Wakefield. Photo: Mark Heathcote.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, 1943, Wood, paint and strings on a painted wooden base. Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield), Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Image © The Hepworth Wakefield. Photo: Mark Heathcote.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Curved Forms with Green, 1943, gouache and pencil on paper. Pier Arts Centre, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Photograph Alistair Peebles, Courtesy of the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Curved Forms with Green, 1943, gouache and pencil on paper. Pier Arts Centre, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Photograph Alistair Peebles, Courtesy of the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Wave, 1943-44, wood, paint, string, National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Henry Moore Foundation, 1999 Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. National Galleries of Scotland. Photograph Antonia Reeve.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Wave, 1943-44, wood, paint, string, National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Henry Moore Foundation, 1999 Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. National Galleries of Scotland. Photograph Antonia Reeve.

In her 1952 monograph, Hepworth described her early encounter with the light of the Cornish landscape and how it had opened up new possibilities: the colour in the concavities of forms plunged her into the depths of water, caves, or shallows. She began working with oil colour painted directly onto the inner surfaces of her sculptures, introducing a richness and chromatic depth that went far beyond the original blue-and-white palette of the wartime years.

During evenings and nights of the war years, she produced innumerable drawings in gouache and pencil – abstract works exploring the tensions and relationships of form and colour that would occupy her sculpture work. These layered, crystalline drawings, with their mathematical geometries and jewel-like intensity of colour, became among her major achievements of the period.

Later life

In the post-war decades, Hepworth’s use of colour became more expansive. Her 1946 exhibition at the Lefevre Gallery in London was her first major post-war solo show, and she wrote to E.H. Ramsden that she would be showing her pursuit of “the threads of stone and colour”. By adding colours taken from nature, she imbued her works with her response to the Cornish landscape and terrain in all its richness.

Recognition for this radical aspect of her work remained elusive. Hepworth herself felt that critics had overlooked her use of colour. Writing to Bryan Robertson, Director of Whitechapel Art Gallery, in preparation for her 1954 retrospective there, she observed that, “nobody had ever mentioned this [colour] tho’ my first was 1938” adding that ‘nobody ever pays attention to even more important phases such as the use of colour and form’. In an interview with her son-in-law, the art historian Alan Bowness, she said, “My colour has been accepted, but never understood”.

From the mid-1950s onwards, her painting style became bolder and more experimental, inspired by artists like Pierre Soulages and Mark Rothko. Visiting Mark Rothko’s exhibition at Whitechapel Gallery in 1961 was, as she wrote to Mark Rothko himself in 1968, “one of the big moments of my life, never to be forgotten”.

Hepworth was, in many ways, ahead of her time. Explore her expressions of colour in our current exhibition, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour.

Photograph of Barbara Hepworth wearing a blue jacket and bright red trousers. She is sitting on a bench in a garden, with a large curved sculpture behind her.
Barbara Hepworth, with Curved Form (Bryher II), photograph for the catalogue Barbara Hepworth: Recent work: Sculpture, paintings, prints (Marlborough Gallery, London, 1972) Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. Bowness Archive.

The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour is open at the Courtauld Gallery from 12 June – 6 September 2026.

Book now

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]]> Professor Joanna Cannon awarded CBE /news-blogs/2026/professor-joanna-cannon-awarded-cbe/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:23:47 +0000 /?p=171489 The post Professor Joanna Cannon awarded CBE appeared first on Courtauld.

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51°”Íű Institute congratulates Professor Emerita Joanna Cannon who has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the King’s Birthday Honours 2026 for services to art curation and research.

Joanna taught at the Courtauld Institute from 1977Ìęonwards,Ìęretiring in 2019. She was appointed Professor in the History of Art in 2014.ÌęJoanna also studied as an undergraduate and postgraduate at the Courtauld Institute, receiving her PhD in 1980.

Joanna was co-curator of the award-winning exhibition Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300 ‒1350 (Metropolitan Museum, New York, 2024; National Gallery, London, 2025), which opened up the world of Sienese art to a wider public. She was also the lead editor of the accompanying publication.

JoannaÌęhas published widely on aspects of later-medieval Italian art, especially art and the orders of friars in central Italy, including:

  • Religious Poverty, Visual Riches: Art in the Dominican Churches of Central Italy in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries, published by Yale University Press in 2013, was shortlisted for the Apollo Book of the Year award.
  • Co-editor, with Jo Kirby and Susie Nash, of Trade in Artists’ Materials: Markets and Commerce in Europe to 1700 (London: Archetype, 2010).
  • Co-editor with Beth Williamson of Art, Politics, and Civic Religion in Central Italy, 1261-1352 (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2000).
  • Co-author, with AndrĂ© Vauchez, ofÌęMargherita of Cortona and the Lorenzetti: Sienese Art and the Cult of a Holy Woman in Medieval Tuscany,Ìę(University Park, PA: Penn State Press, 1999).

Joanna said: “The whole thing was – of course – a complete surprise to me, but I am very gratified on behalf ofÌętheÌęArt HistoryÌęcommunity, especially colleagues and students at the Courtauld, and latterly at the NationalÌęGalleryÌęand, more widely,Ìęon behalf ofÌęthe study of the Humanities.”

Professor Mark Hallett said: “We are thrilled that Joanna has been honoured with a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List. This is thoroughly well-deserved, and a testament to the brilliance and rigour of Joanna’s scholarship.”

Smiling woman with short white hair wearing a red shirt stands in front of a bookshelf.
Professor Emerita Joanna Cannon, CBE

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]]> Paintings by Picasso and Magritte to go on display at the Courtauld Gallery as part of a major partnership with the Reuben Foundation /news-blogs/2026/paintings-by-picasso-and-magritte-to-go-on-display-at-the-courtauld-gallery/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:35:52 +0000 /?p=171440 The post Paintings by Picasso and Magritte to go on display at the Courtauld Gallery as part of a major partnership with the Reuben Foundation appeared first on Courtauld.

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A new display,ÌęModern Painting from the Courtauld and ReubenÌęCollections, made possible by the long-term partnership between the Courtauld and the Reuben Foundation, will open at the Courtauld Gallery onÌę18 September 2026.Ìę

Featuring outstanding works by Cezanne, Modigliani, LĂ©ger, Picasso, and Magritte, the display explores radicalÌęnew approachesÌęto painting in the first half of the 20th century.ÌęÌęÌę

51°”Íű’s partnership with the Reuben Foundation,Ìęlaunched in 2025,Ìęenables worksÌęof artÌęfrom the ReubenÌęCollectionÌętoÌębe made available to the publicÌęas part of the Courtauld Gallery’sÌędisplays. ItÌęallows theÌęGallery to extend its celebratedÌępresentationÌęof Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art into the modern period.Ìę

In October 2025, the Courtauld announced the largest financial gift in its history from the Reuben Foundation,Ìęechoing the extraordinary philanthropy of the Courtauld’s founder, Samuel Courtauld. The FoundationÌęisÌęsupporting the developmentÌęofÌęthe Courtauld’s new Strand campus,Ìęwhich, when it opens in 2029, willÌębeÌęone ofÌętheÌęworld’sÌęmost important centresÌęfor the study ofÌętheÌęhistory of art.ÌęÌę

Modern Painting from the Courtauld and Reuben CollectionsÌębegins with early 20th century paintings from the Courtauld,Ìęincluding PaulÌę°äĂ©łúČčČÔČÔ±đ’sÌęTurning RoadÌę(1905), a landscape conjured through near-abstract patches ofÌęcolour, and Amedeo Modigliani’sÌęNudeÌę(c.1916), a radically direct and expressive painting that upended conventional approaches to the subject of the female nude. These set the stage for works from the Reuben Collection by painters who built on such innovations to chart new artistic directions.Ìę

Major Cubist works by Juan Gris and Fernand LĂ©ger from 1914-1918, a period of significant avant-garde experimentation in Europe, tookÌę°äĂ©łúČčČÔČÔ±đ’sÌępatchwork of brushstrokes to new extremes. They broke the illusion of representational painting by depicting their subjects as fragmented parts,Ìęseemingly stillÌęin the process of beingÌęformed. A highlight of this area of the display is Man Ray’s monumentalÌęBlack Widow (Nativity), painted in New York in 1915, and lastÌęexhibitedÌęin the UK more than fifty years ago. Although celebrated asÌęaÌęmodernist photographer, Man Ray began his career as a painter. With this, one of his most significant early works, he created an epic modern figure painting out of Cubism and painted collage.Ìę

A group of three paintings by Pablo Picasso from the period of the Second World WarÌędemonstrateÌęthe artist’s continual reinvention of the traditions of painting. Picasso’s two portraits of his partners,ÌęMarie-ThĂ©rĂšse Walter, 1937, and the photographerÌęDora Maar, 1939, neither previouslyÌęexhibitedÌęin this country, challenge and transform classical conventions of portraiture. The latter work offers a raw and unsettling image of Maar during the war. They are shown alongside his remarkableÌęStill Life with Basket of Fruits and FlowersÌę(1942); its spiky and fraught depiction of its humble objects powerfully expressing the tenor of wartime Paris.Ìę

The Reuben Collection holds a significant collection of works by the Surrealist artist RenĂ© Magritte. Some of Magritte’s most famous compositions are included in this display, such asÌęThe Dominion of LightÌęandÌęThe Intimate Friend. Both works date from the 1950s and are characteristically elusive juxtapositions that offer the promise of new and unexpected meanings, such as a nocturnal scene under a sunlit sky, or the artist’s iconic bowler-hatted man, overlaid with a wine glass and baguette. Magritte’sÌęLa DomaineÌęArnheim, 1949, is a further highlight of this group. Its surreal image of a landscape through a shattered window is an encapsulation of the transformations and reinventions of modern painting since the time ofÌę°äĂ©łúČčČÔČÔ±đ.Ìę

51°”Íű Gallery has grown historically through the generosity of private individuals who haveÌęendowed it with the remarkable collections they formed. This tradition of philanthropy,ÌęinitiatedÌęat the Gallery by Samuel Courtauld in the 1930s, continues to extend and enhanceÌęthe Courtauld Gallery’s world-famous collections.ÌęIn recent years,Ìęthe Courtauld GalleryÌęhasÌęalsoÌęenriched itsÌędisplaysÌęwith works of artÌęloanedÌęto it fromÌęother collections,ÌęincludingÌęa group of paintings fromÌęthe Oskar Reinhart CollectionÌęandÌęexceptional works from the Barber Institute of Fine ArtÌęin Birmingham.Ìę

Modern Painting from the Courtauld and ReubenÌęCollectionsÌę
Opening 18 September 2026Ìę
Katja and Nicolai Tangen 20th Century Gallery, Floor 3Ìę

Highlights

Rene Magritte (1898-1967), La Domaine d’Arnheim (The Domain of Arnheim), 1949, oil on canvas, 99.7 x 81.3cm. Reuben Collection. © 2026 ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London
Rene Magritte (1898-1967), La Domaine d’Arnheim (The Domain of Arnheim), 1949, oil on canvas, 99.7 x 81.3cm. Reuben Collection. © 2026 ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London
Paul °äĂ©łúČčČÔČÔ±đ (1839-1906), Turning Road, c.1905, oil on canvas, 73 x 92cm. Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) © Courtauld
Paul °äĂ©łúČčČÔČÔ±đ (1839-1906), Turning Road, c.1905, oil on canvas, 73 x 92cm. Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) © Courtauld
Painting of a man in a bowler hat and black jacket stood at a window, facing away looking outside. Hovering in the foreground is a baguette and a wine glass filled with clear liquid.
René Magritte (1898-1967), L’Ami Intime (The Intimate Friend), 1958, oil oil on canvas, 72.6 x 64.9cm. Reuben Collection. © 2026 ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London
René Magritte (1898-1967), L’Ami Intime (The Intimate Friend), 1958, oil oil on canvas, 72.6 x 64.9cm. Reuben Collection. © 2026 ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Still Life with Basket of Fruit and Flowers, 1942, oil on canvas, 73.5 x 92cm. Reuben Collection. © 2026 Succession Picasso/DACS, London
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Still Life with Basket of Fruit and Flowers, 1942, oil on canvas, 73.5 x 92cm. Reuben Collection. © 2026 Succession Picasso/DACS, London
Man Ray (1890-1976), Black Widow (Nativity), 1915, oil on canvas, 178.1 x 86.3cm. Reuben Collection. © Man Ray 2015 Trust / DACS Images, London/ ADAGP, Paris 2026
Man Ray (1890-1976), Black Widow (Nativity), 1915, oil on canvas, 178.1 x 86.3cm. Reuben Collection. © Man Ray 2015 Trust / DACS Images, London/ ADAGP, Paris 2026
Painted portrait of a nude woman with black hair, sat leaning back on a chair. Her eyes are closed and her head leans on her left shoulder.
Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), Female Nude, circa 1916, Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)Ìę© CourtauldÌę
Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), Female Nude, circa 1916, Courtauld Gallery, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)Ìę© CourtauldÌę

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]]> Dr Thupten KelsangÌęNamed 2026 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar Ìę /news-blogs/2026/ho-family-foundation-buddhism-public-scholar/ Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:27:08 +0000 /?p=171303 The post Dr Thupten KelsangÌęNamed 2026 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar Ìę appeared first on Courtauld.

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51°”Íű Institute is proud to announce thatÌęÌęhas been named a 2026 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar.Ìę

Dr Kelsang isÌęone of  who will be placed in one- to two-year professional positions with leading museums and publications across Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. These recent PhDs will apply their academicÌęexpertiseÌęfrom their PhD training to strengthen the host organization’s presentation of Buddhist art, thought, and practice to broad audiences.Ìę

Dr Kelsang is a museum anthropologist with a Clarendon-funded DPhil from the University of Oxford. Specialising in community-engaged research and Tibetan museum collections, he has been consulted by the British Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum, the British Library, and the Horniman Museum. He is currently an AHRC Research Fellow at the Victoria & Albert Museum, leading the ‘Reanimating Tibetan Heritage’ project.ÌęÌę

Dr Kelsang will work with the Courtauld InstituteÌęto support collaborations with public institutions such as museums and libraries, as well as Buddhist temples and religious communities both in the UK and in Asia, to create public programming and produce knowledge about Buddhist Heritage.Ìę

“The 2026 cohort of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies demonstrates the vitality and reach of the field,” said Daphne Weber, ACLSÌę(American Council for LearnedÌęSocieities)ÌęProgram Officer of Buddhist Studies. “ACLS is proud to support rigorous, academic scholarship and professional positions that bring new knowledge and understanding of Buddhist traditions to broader communities who stand to benefit from it.”Ìę

 at ACLSÌępromotesÌęthe academic study of Buddhism, strengthens international networks of Buddhist scholars, and increases the visibility of new knowledge and research on Buddhist traditions. It is made possible by a $7.5 million grant extension to ACLS from The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global to advance research and scholarship in the field through fellowships and grants, nurture networks through annual symposia for early career fellows, and increase and diversify applicant pools across the globe.Ìę

“We are delighted to welcome Dr Kelsang to the Courtauld, and share his exciting work on Tibetan Buddhist objects in museum collections with our students as well as with religious communities” said Dr Sujatha Meegama, who oversees the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at the Courtauld Institute. Ìę

The Ho Centre offers the MA Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage programme. To joinÌęthe new cohort in 2026-2027,Ìęapply now.Ìę

Performing Tibetan Identities at Pitt Rivers by Ian Wallman

The post Dr Thupten KelsangÌęNamed 2026 Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholar Ìę appeared first on Courtauld.

]]> Cultural Encounters: My Summer in Egypt /news-blogs/2026/cultural-encounters-in-egypt/ Thu, 18 Jun 2026 13:10:38 +0000 /?p=171159 The post Cultural Encounters: My Summer in Egypt appeared first on Courtauld.

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A man smiles in front of an Egyptian statue in a museum
Andrew at the Grand Egyptian Museum

By Andrew DearmanÌę

Andrew Dearman studies BA History of Art at the Courtauld Institute. Last year, he received the John Hayes Travel Fund, which supports undergraduate students to undertake independent research outside of term time, and travelled to Egypt. Prior to beginning his BA, Andrew completed an apprenticeship at Christie’s, where he subsequently joined the Antiquities Department, coordinating biannual auctions and undertaking provenance research. Alongside his studies, Andrew has undertaken internships with the Center for Art Law and the Antiquities Coalition, further developing his interest in cultural heritage protection.

Having only just begun my studies at the Courtauld Institute, I was surprised and delighted to receive the John Hayes Travel Award: an annual research grant typically given in support of final-year dissertations. Thanks to this award, I had the pleasure of spending my summer in Egypt, where I participated in the Arabic Language Intensive Summer programme (ALIS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC). This programme placed me in close proximity to numerous monuments and museums that showcased the richness of ancient Egyptian visual culture, an area of study that has long fascinated me.

Three men in hats and sunglasses stand in front of a pyramid in Egypt.
Giza Necropolis
Giza Necropolis
Camels with patterned rugs on their backs sit in front of a desert.
Giza Necropolis
Giza Necropolis

I was keen to use this opportunity to investigate Egypt’s relationship with its cultural heritage. Prior to my degree, I was a member of Antiquities department at Christie’s, where I was introduced to the legal and ethical concerns surrounding the trade of ancient art. Since then, I have developed a broader interest in cultural heritage policy, protection, repatriation, and curation. Egypt presents a particularly compelling case study due to the perennial popularity of Egyptian antiquities, fuelled by the global fascination with “ancient Egypt.” Despite its economic, political, and cultural prominence within the Arab world, the 2011 revolution saw devastating losses to Egypt’s cultural heritage due to looting. As such, Egypt has remained at the forefront of global conversations concerning repatriation and cultural heritage protection.

The ALIS programme included cultural excursions, the first of which took us to the Giza Necropolis, fulfilling my childhood dream of witnessing the Sphinx and the Pyramids. However, the experience was somewhat sullied by the persistence of scammers and souvenir sellers, who simultaneously rely on, yet disregard the historical significance of the site. Even the tour guide hired by AUC occasionally presented incorrect or dramatised information as fact. It became clear that “the Pyramids”, and by association the mythological idea of “ancient Egypt”, form the foundation of the country’s national identity in the context of tourism.

Statues of seated figures in the main reception of a museum: a big, airy space full of light and people.
The Grand Egyptian Museum
The Grand Egyptian Museum

This tension followed me to the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). The institute is undeniably impressive; it is vast, polished, and thoughtfully curated around a chronological narrative of Egyptian history. However, the large wing of the building dedicated to luxury cafĂ©s and retail spaces recalled the popular “mall culture” I encountered in Cairo, reserved primarily for upper class Egyptians. This atmosphere of exclusivity is heightened by the museum’s inaccessibility except by car, although locals are charged a cheaper entry fee. Furthermore, the museum’s extravagant opening ceremony was designed to attract international attention, exposing GEM’s critical role in projecting a renewed, state-constructed national image.

The historic Egyptian Museum offered a contrasting experience. Despite many objects being transferred to GEM, the remaining collection is still expansive, with artefacts densely arranged throughout the galleries. The museum appeared neglected; displays were dusty and outdated, and reliefs were left propped against walls and sculptures rested indiscriminately on the floor. Shortly after I left Egypt, news broke that a gold bracelet had been stolen from the museum’s restoration laboratory. The lack of curation and security seemed at odds with the Egyptian government’s hefty investment in GEM. Again, this illustrated how on a state level, national image is prioritised over the effective management and accessibility of cultural heritage.

Two broken statues in a museum
The Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum
Display cases in a museum: Egyptian hieroglyphs and carvings on broken pieces of stone

My time in Egypt fundamentally shaped the way I think about the display, preservation, and interpretation of cultural heritage. At times, I was challenged or surprised by my experiences, yet I was consistently impressed by the quality and significance of the artefacts themselves. Returning to the Courtauld Institute in September, I was excited to encounter many of these questions again in our Exhibiting Art module, which examines histories of collecting and curating, and how these influence the interpretation of art and cultures. I look forward to continuing to explore these issues in my dissertation.

The post Cultural Encounters: My Summer in Egypt appeared first on Courtauld.

]]> Now open: The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour /news-blogs/2026/now-open-the-joseph-hage-aaronson-bremen-exhibition-hepworth-in-colour/ Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:07:27 +0000 /?p=171005 The post Now open: The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour appeared first on Courtauld.

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★★★★★ “A dazzling fresh take on a genius” –ÌęThe Times
★★★★★ “Compelling” –ÌęLondon Standard
★★★★ “Ravishing sculptures” –ÌęThe Guardian

The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, the first exhibition ever to be devoted to Barbara Hepworth’s work with colour, is now open at the Courtauld Gallery (12 June – 6 September 2026).

51°”ÍűÌęGalleryÌępresentsÌęthe first exhibition devoted to Barbara Hepworth’s lifelong fascination with colour,Ìęshedding light on an unexpected and unexplored aspect of the work of one of the most celebratedÌęBritishÌęartists of the 20thÌęcentury.Ìę

Barbara Hepworth (1903–1975)Ìęis best knownÌęfor her abstractÌęsculpturesÌęinspired by nature and the rugged seaside landscapes of Cornwall,Ìęwhere she lived and workedÌęfrom 1939.ÌęHepworth’sÌępractice isÌęoften characterisedÌęin terms ofÌęherÌęcommitment toÌędirect carvingÌęandÌę‘truth toÌęmaterials’.ÌęLittle attention has been given to the importance of colour in her work.ÌęDiscussing herÌęinnovativeÌęuse of colourÌęin 1970,ÌęsheÌęsaid:Ìę“my colour has beenÌęaccepted,ÌębutÌęnever understood.”ÌęÌę

Bringing togetherÌę18Ìęsculptures andÌę26ÌędrawingsÌęand paintings,ÌęThe Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition:ÌęHepworth inÌęColour is the first exhibition to focus on this important but often overlooked aspect of Hepworth’s work.ÌęÌęÌę

Hepworth’s early interest in painted colour dates to the mid-1930s when she and her future husband, Ben Nicholson, formed part of the European avant-garde. In 1939, just before outbreak of the Second World War, she left London for Cornwall with her three young children, taking with her a single sculpture – her very first study for a sculpture with colour. Over the following years, the landscape of Cornwall inspired Hepworth to develop this initial experiment, moving her work in new directions and establishing a lifelong fascination with colour.

At the heart of the exhibition is the remarkable group of painted sculptures made between 1940 and 1948. Hepworth later recalled how, “I used colour and strings in many of the carvings of this time. The colour in the concavities plunged me into the depths of water, caves or shallows
”. These early works include the boldly painted stone carvings EidosÌę(1947-8)Ìęfrom the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne,ÌęAustraliaÌęandÌęSculpture with ColourÌę(Eos)Ìę(1946)Ìęfrom a private collection in Hong Kong. TheyÌęareÌęexhibitedÌętogetherÌęin the UKÌęfor the first timeÌęsinceÌę1954.ÌęÌę

A major highlight of the exhibition is the painted wood carving,ÌęSculpture with Colour (Oval Form), Pale Blue and Red,ÌęofÌę1943, which was acquired by The Hepworth Wakefield in 2025 following the successful national fundraising campaign in collaboration with Art Fund to raise ÂŁ3.8 million.ÌęSculpture with Colour (Oval Form), Pale Blue and Red marked a breakthrough moment in Hepworth’s career, combining strings and colour and, for the first time, the beautiful pale blue, which she associated with the Cornish skies and coast. In private hands since it was created, and rarely exhibited, this is the first time the sculpture is displayed in London since it was acquired for the nation. For Hepworth, the strings in her early sculptures “were the tension I felt between myself and the sea, the wind or the hill”.Ìę

Other iconic painted stringed sculptures in the exhibition includeÌęWave, 1943-44, from the National Galleries of Scotland andÌęPelagosÌę(‘sea’ in Greek), 1946 from Tate, the latter directly inspired by the sculptor’s view from her studio onto the bay in St Ives in Cornwall.ÌęTheÌęexhibition also unites for the first time from private and public collections the six versions ofÌęSculpture with Colour (Deep Blue and Red),Ìęmade between 1940 and 1943, featuring contrasting red strings hovering over a striking blue interior.Ìę

Alongside sculptures, the exhibition features a rich selection of Hepworth’s drawings with colour. During the first years of the war Hepworth lacked the materials, studio space and time to produce much sculpture but her drawings allowed her to continue to explore and develop her ideas. She recalled, “In the late evenings, and during the night I did innumerable drawings
 exploring the particular tensions and relationships of form and colour which were to occupy me in sculpture during the later years of the war.” These drawings, usually entitled “drawing for sculpture” are remarkable for their intricate crystalline forms, punctuated with strong blues, reds and greens.ÌęÌęÌę

The exhibition extends into the 1950s and 1960s to reflect how colour continued to occupy Hepworth in newÌęand innovativeÌęways,ÌęincludingÌęin her expressive paintings, and in herÌęworkÌęwith patinatedÌębronzeÌęandÌęcolouredÌęmarble.ÌęÌę

The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth inÌęColourÌęis curated by Dr Alexandra Gerstein, Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Courtauld Gallery and Dr Stephen Feeke, independent writer and curator whose PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art focused on Barbara Hepworth’s bronze sculptures.Ìę

To coincide with the exhibition, a display ofÌęrareÌęphotographs, taken in the 1930s by Paul Laib (1932–1936),ÌęcapturingÌęHepworth and Ben NicholsonÌę(1894–1982)Ìęin theirÌęshared studio in Hampstead, London, is now open in the Project Space.ÌęTheseÌęare among the most evocative studio imagesÌętoÌęemergeÌęin Britain during the 20th centuryÌęand show the fascinating interrelation of their practicesÌęat this time.Ìę

Courtauld MembersÌęget free unlimited entry to all exhibitions, access to presale tickets, priority booking to selected events, advance notice of art history short courses, exclusive events, discounts and more. Join at courtauld.ac.uk/membersÌę

Late openings – Experience the exhibition after hours. The Gallery will open until 20:00 on Friday 12 June, 26 June, 31 July, and 4 September 2026.Ìę

Relaxed openings – Join us for relaxed openings onÌęWednesday 1 July and Wednesday 19 August, between 10:00 and 10:30.ÌęOur relaxed exhibition openings includeÌęadditionalÌęsupport and facilities from our friendly team.Ìę

The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour
12 June – 6 September 2026
Denise CoatesÌęExhibitionÌęGalleries, Floor 3Ìę

Hepworth and Nicholson: The Hampstead Studio Photographs
6 June – 4 October 2026
Project Space, Floor 2

Highlights

A marble sculpture with sweeping spherical curves, and a yellow dot in the centre. It sits on a marble plinth and dramatic lighting casts a strong shadow against a dark background.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Eidos, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with the assistance of the Samuel E. Wills Bequest to commemorate the retirement of Dr E. Westbrook, Director of Arts for Victoria, 1981 © Bowness. Photo: Predrag Cancar / NGV. Image courtesy National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Eidos, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with the assistance of the Samuel E. Wills Bequest to commemorate the retirement of Dr E. Westbrook, Director of Arts for Victoria, 1981 © Bowness. Photo: Predrag Cancar / NGV. Image courtesy National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
a wooden abstract sculpture featuring an oval form with pale blue and red painted surfaces, intersected by strings and mounted on a painted wooden base.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, 1943, Wood, paint and strings on a painted wooden base. Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield), Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Image © The Hepworth Wakefield. Photo: Mark Heathcote.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, 1943, Wood, paint and strings on a painted wooden base. Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield), Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Image © The Hepworth Wakefield. Photo: Mark Heathcote.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Curved Forms with Green, 1943, gouache and pencil on paper. Pier Arts Centre, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Photograph Alistair Peebles, Courtesy of the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Curved Forms with Green, 1943, gouache and pencil on paper. Pier Arts Centre, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Photograph Alistair Peebles, Courtesy of the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Drawing for Sculpture with Colour (Forms with Red and Blue), 1941, pencil and gouache on paper-covered board. Private Collection, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. Image courtesy Bowness.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Drawing for Sculpture with Colour (Forms with Red and Blue), 1941, pencil and gouache on paper-covered board. Private Collection, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. Image courtesy Bowness.
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg
Installation view, The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour, Courtauld Gallery. Photo © Fergus Carmichael.jpg

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Courtauld Gallery Exhibition Exhibitions What’s on Highlights

Hepworth in Colour

12 Jun Ìę– 6 Sep 2026

★★★★★ “A dazzling fresh take on a genius” – The Times. This ambitious exhibition is the first to explore Barbara Hepworth’s (1903 –1975) lifelong fascination with colour, which she used in highly original and unexpected ways.

Courtauld Gallery Exhibition Exhibitions What’s on Highlights

Studio Prints: An Artists’ Workshop

6 Jun – 13 Sep 2026

Discover the world of Dorothea Wight and Marc Balakjian’s London Printmaking Studio.ÌęFeaturing prints by artists including Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach and Paula Rego.

The post Now open: The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour appeared first on Courtauld.

]]> 5 things to know about Barbara Hepworth /news-blogs/2026/5-things-to-know-about-barbara-hepworth/ Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:56:08 +0000 /?p=170602 Read our blog to discover 5 things to know about Barbara Hepworth, and what you can look forward to in our latest major exhibition.

The post 5 things to know about Barbara Hepworth appeared first on Courtauld.

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The Joseph Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour at the Courtauld Gallery is the first ever exhibition devoted to the artist’s lifelong fascination with colour, which she used in highly original and unexpected ways. This focused, research-driven exhibition is comprised of around 18 sculptures and 26 exceptional drawings and paintings, showing sculpture in dialogue with her painted and graphic works.

Here are 5 things to know about of one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century and what you can look forward to in the exhibition.

She was dedicated to her craft from an early age

Born in Wakefield in 1903, Hepworth spent her childhood among the undulating hills and roads of Yorkshire during trips with her father, a civil engineer. She won a West Riding of Yorkshire County Art Scholarship to study at the Royal College of Art, where she enrolled in 1921, aged 18, and was one of only two students to graduate from the Sculpture course in 1923, alongside Henry Moore.

After leaving the RCA, she won a scholarship to continue her studies in Italy, where she spent time in Florence and Rome learning the Italian tradition of direct stone carving; an experience that would prove foundational to her work.

Black and white photograph of Barbara Hepworth in her studio. She wears a white skirt and a striped short sleeve top, with her hands clasped in front of her.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), Portrait of Barbara Hepworth, 1933. Vintage gelatin silver print. Bowness Archive. Barbara Hepworth © Bowness; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation

Obsessed with colour

Her colourful sculptures and drawings aren’t what most people think of when they think of Barbara Hepworth. But, as Hepworth in Colour demonstrates, she was captivated by colour.

As early as 1933, she was writing about colour as a mode of expression that possesses a ‘pure, eternal and all-powerful beauty’. In 1940, she wrote to the architect Leslie Martin, ‘I actually think I have discovered how to use both [colour and form] together to achieve a new power & experience & I have discovered certain laws. I don’t think anybody has done it before ..’.

Colour to Hepworth was more about just adding bold pops of paint. Long before her initial Sculpture with Colour (Deep Blue and Red) series (1940-1943), she had been drawn towards the natural colours of her favourite materials (wood and stone), and also to strikingly coloured materials. Meticulously documented in her sculpture records, for instance, is an extensive array of colourful stones:Ìęblue Armenian marble, blueÌęHorntonÌęstone and blueÌęAncasterÌęstone; brownÌęHorntonÌęstone; green marble; grey Cumberland stone with grey alabaster; black,ÌępinkÌęand white alabaster; green and white onyx; and white marble.Ìę

Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Deep Blue and Red), 1943, Painted wood and strings, Private collection, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. Photo: Todd White
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Deep Blue and Red), 1943, Painted wood and strings, Private collection, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. Photo: Todd White
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Drawing for Sculpture with Colour, 1941, pencil and gouache on board. University of Leeds Art Collection, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, reproduced with the permission of Cultural Collections and Galleries, University of Leeds Libraries, Art Collection. Image courtesy Bowness.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Drawing for Sculpture with Colour, 1941, pencil and gouache on board. University of Leeds Art Collection, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, reproduced with the permission of Cultural Collections and Galleries, University of Leeds Libraries, Art Collection. Image courtesy Bowness.

Cornwall changed everything

When the Second World War was declared in 1939, Hepworth and her husband Ben Nicholson left London for St Ives, Cornwall with their young children. It was a precarious and difficult time, but one that would be transformative for her colour practice. Working in the evenings and at night, she produced many abstract drawings exploring, as she later recalled, ‘the particular tensions and relationships of form and colourÌęwhich were to occupy me in sculpture during the later years of the war’.

The landscape itself reshaped how she saw things: ‘The colour in the concavities plunged me into the depths of water, caves, or shallows deeper than the carved concavities themselves’. The blues, greens and greys of the sea and sky appear frequently in her work.

Explore Hepworth’s drawings and paintings in our exhibition, alongside her sculptures from the 1940s through to the 1960s.

Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Wave, 1943-44, wood, paint, string, National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Henry Moore Foundation, 1999 Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. National Galleries of Scotland. Photograph Antonia Reeve.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Wave, 1943-44, wood, paint, string, National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Art Fund and the Henry Moore Foundation, 1999 Barbara Hepworth © Bowness. National Galleries of Scotland. Photograph Antonia Reeve.
A marble sculpture with sweeping spherical curves, and a yellow dot in the centre. It sits on a marble plinth and dramatic lighting casts a strong shadow against a dark background.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Eidos, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with the assistance of the Samuel E. Wills Bequest to commemorate the retirement of Dr E. Westbrook, Director of Arts for Victoria, 1981 © Bowness. Photo: Predrag Cancar / NGV. Image courtesy National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Eidos, 1947, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Purchased with the assistance of the Samuel E. Wills Bequest to commemorate the retirement of Dr E. Westbrook, Director of Arts for Victoria, 1981 © Bowness. Photo: Predrag Cancar / NGV. Image courtesy National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Curved Forms with Green, 1943, gouache and pencil on paper. Pier Arts Centre, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Photograph Alistair Peebles, Courtesy of the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Curved Forms with Green, 1943, gouache and pencil on paper. Pier Arts Centre, Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Photograph Alistair Peebles, Courtesy of the Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney.

Her biggest influences might surprise you

Hepworth’s colour language was shaped by a rich web of relationships and encounters with artists and architects of the modernist movement that she was part of. Living and working alongside the painter Ben Nicholson, with whom she shared a studio in London in the 1930s, as she later acknowledged, sharpened her colour sense.

On 1 January 1935, Hepworth visited the Parisian studio of Piet Mondrian which, as she later recalled, had ‘gleamed with whiteness’. When she returned back home, she painted her own studio walls white. He would later become their next-door neighbour in London, and gave Hepworth and Nicholson one of his paintings. Hepworth’s Sculpture withÌęColourÌę(Deep Blue and Red)Ìęseries (1940-1943) can be understood as a reworking of his spatial colour effects into three dimensions.Ìę

In 1933, Hepworth and Nicholson travelled to Meudon on the outskirts of Paris to visit the artist Jean Arp; since he was away, his wife, the painter, Sophie Taeuber-Arp showed them round. This must have had a significant impact on Hepworth, as her earliest wartime gouaches sharing a striking synergy with Taeuber-Arp’s paintings.Ìę

Want to learn more? Read Stephen Feeke’s essay,Ìę, inÌęthe catalogue forÌęHepworth inÌęColour.Ìę

Black and white photograph of the studio, with three small white sculptures, an easel with a fabric work, and various tools dotted around a table.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), The Studio at 7 The Mall with works by Barbara Hepworth and a fabric by Ben Nicholson, 1933. Vintage gelatin silver print. Photographic Collections, Courtauld Institute of Art. Barbara Hepworth © Bowness; Ben Nicholson © All rights reserved, DACS; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation

Her most misunderstood contribution

Throughout her career, critics tended to focus on Hepworth’s mastery of form and her colour was barely noticed. In an interview with the art historian Alan Bowness in 1975, she reflected that:

‘MyÌęcolourÌęhas beenÌęaccepted, butÌęnever understood’.Ìę

Hepworth inÌęColour sets out to change that, and to show for the first time just how central colour was to the work of one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century.Ìę

a wooden abstract sculpture featuring an oval form with pale blue and red painted surfaces, intersected by strings and mounted on a painted wooden base.
Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), Sculpture with Colour (Oval Form) Pale Blue and Red, 1943, Wood, paint and strings on a painted wooden base. Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield), Barbara Hepworth © Bowness, Image © The Hepworth Wakefield. Photo: Mark Heathcote.

Hepworth in Colour is open at the Courtauld Gallery from 12 June – 6 September.

Book now

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Courtauld Gallery Exhibition Exhibitions What’s on Highlights

Hepworth in Colour

12 Jun Ìę– 6 Sep 2026

★★★★★ “A dazzling fresh take on a genius” – The Times. This ambitious exhibition is the first to explore Barbara Hepworth’s (1903 –1975) lifelong fascination with colour, which she used in highly original and unexpected ways.

Courtauld Gallery Exhibition Exhibitions What’s on Highlights

Studio Prints: An Artists’ Workshop

6 Jun – 13 Sep 2026

Discover the world of Dorothea Wight and Marc Balakjian’s London Printmaking Studio.ÌęFeaturing prints by artists including Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach and Paula Rego.

Plan your visit

Find all the information you need ahead of your visit to 51°”Íű Gallery from admission prices to how to get here and more.

The post 5 things to know about Barbara Hepworth appeared first on Courtauld.

]]> Sir Angus Stirling (1933-2026) /news-blogs/2026/sir-angus-stirling-1933-2026/ Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:39:32 +0000 /?p=170633 The post Sir Angus Stirling (1933-2026) appeared first on Courtauld.

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It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Sir Angus Stirling, who played a significant role in the evolution of the Courtauld both as a trustee of the Samuel Courtauld Trust and as a member of the Courtauld’s Governing Board in the period from the early 1980s to 2014. 51°”Íű will always be deeply grateful for his commitment, support and close friendship, and hold his memory in great affection.

Angus Stirling – an arts administrator and conservationist who led some of the UK’s most significant arts organisations – was a man of high intelligence, careful thought and great articulacy, who was passionate about the value of the arts and the natural world and made invaluable contributions to the cultural life of this country. Whether as Director-General of the National Trust (1983-1995), as Chairman of the Royal Opera House (1991-1996), as Chairman of the Foundation for the Royal Naval College at Greenwich (1997-2004), or as trustee of or advisor to the many other organisations that he supported, his involvement and impact have been profound. This was certainly the case in his engagement with the Courtauld Institute of Art. Without Sir Angus, the Courtauld simply would not be the success it is now. We are deeply indebted to him.

Angus Stirling was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge before taking a diploma in the history of art at London University as an extramural student. After a brief period in the City, he joined the Arts Council in 1971, becoming its Deputy Secretary-General before joining the National Trust as Director General in 1983. While still there he also served as Chair of the Royal Opera House, and was serving on other boards, not least being those of the Courtauld.

Angus’s engagement with the Courtauld was multi-faceted. In the early 1980s, he served on the Courtauld’s pre-independence Advisory Board. Later in the decade, when he also served as Chairman of the Greenwich Foundation of the Royal Naval College, he was heavily involved in the thinking, practicalities and funding of the Courtauld’s move to Somerset House. From 1990 became a Trustee of the Samuel Courtauld Trust, which owns the Courtauld art collection. Then, in 2002 when the Courtauld sought to become a self-governing college of the University of London, he was a key member of the impressive team that included Sir Nicholas Goodison, Nicholas Ferguson, and Lord Rothschild, along with then Director Eric Fernie, who at great speed put together a complex package of support and collaboration to make this possible. It was Angus who mediated the complex tripartite agreement between the Samuel Courtauld Trust, the evolving new Courtauld Board and the Getty Trust – a critical element in the complicated jigsaw required to make this all happen. Then, as the Samuel Courtauld Trust’s ex-officio member, he served on the new Governing Board from 2002 until 2014. He was chair of its Estate Committee, leading the critical early phases of the Courtauld’s ongoing redevelopment of its Somerset House site, and working closely with the then Director, Deborah Swallow, and the project’s architects Witherford Watson Mann. Angus suffered badly from Covid and was unable to visit site during the building works, but together with his lifelong friend Christopher McLaren, for many years Chair of the Samuel Courtauld Trust, he continued to support the project and was thrilled to see the renovated buildings, restored Great Room and galleries. In 2015, he became an Honorary Fellow – a reflection of our deep gratitude for all he had done for the Courtauld.

The list of organisations that Angus supported and influenced includes the World Monument Fund in Britain, Gresham’s School, Stowe House Preservation Trust, City and Guild’s of London Art School, Trinity Laban, the Joint Nature Conservation Trust, and the Friends of Holland Park. But his influence ranges well beyond this country. When India was considering setting up a national trust, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sought his advice and invited him for discussions. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage is now an established organisation with chapters throughout India.

Angus’s love of the arts spanned all media and forms and, in his later decades, he found time to go back to painting, his greatest love. He trained at the Lydgate Art Research Centre and had a number of exhibitions. He evolved a distinctive, semi abstract style, creating pictures imbued with vivid colour and suggestive of both figures and landscape, which give great pleasure to these works’ owners. In his last year, he took great pleasure in creating cutouts with his daughter, the artist Kitty Stirling, inspired by the work of Matisse, an artist he had met.

Angus Stirling’s close association with the Courtauld is amongst the most significant in its history – his quiet but passionate articulation of its deep purposes inspired the Board, persuaded donors, and both challenged and reassured staff and students. He held memories of the past but remained enthusiastic about the future and was delighted to learn of the next phase of the Courtauld’s redevelopment plan from current Director Mark Hallett.

Angus remained at the heart of a close network of Courtauld supporters and staff for the rest of his life and was a wonderful friend and mentor. He will be greatly missed.

Our deepest sympathies go to his wife, Morar, his daughters Emma and Kitty, his son Duncan and the whole wider family.

Angus Stirling standing in front of a framed Gauguin painting on a salmon-colour painted wall.
Sir Angus Stirling (1933-2026)

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]]> In the studio with Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson /news-blogs/2026/in-the-studio-with-barbara-hepworth-and-ben-nicholson/ Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:24:25 +0000 /?p=170341 Discover the stories behind some of the photographs on display in Hepworth and Nicholson: The Hampstead Studio Photographs in the Project Space.

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By Gerlind May and Chloe Nahum, co-curators of Hepworth and Nicholson: The Hampstead Studio Photographs.

Hepworth and Nicholson: The Hampstead Studio Photographs (6 June – 4 October 2026) brings together a remarkable group of photographs of their shared studio, taken in the early 1930s by the fine art photographer Paul Laib (1869-1958). The display coincides with The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour (12 June – 6 September 2026).

Read on to discover the stories behind some of the photographs on display.

Black and white photograph of a busy art studio, with a carving table with tools in front of lots of sculptures visible behind. The studio is light filled, with skylights and a large window at the end.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), Barbara Hepworth’s carving studio at 7 The Mall, July 1933. Modern gelatin silver print from the original glass plate negative. The de Laszlo Collection of Paul Laib Negatives, Courtauld Institute of Art. Barbara Hepworth © Bowness; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation

We look into a garden studio populated with tools and sculptures. Unruly foliage grows through the roof. A large block of stone on a modelling stand competes for our attention with sculptures placed on tables and plinths. A teacup and saucer have been left beside carving tools and utensils, and we wonder if the artist was here just moments ago.

Black and white photograph of an indoor studio, fulled with artworks, sculptures, tools, plants, and glassware.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), The studio at 7 The Mall with various works by Ben Nicholson, June 1933. Modern gelatin silver print from the original glass plate negative. The de Laszlo Collection of Paul Laib Negatives, Courtauld Institute of Art. Ben Nicholson © All rights reserved, DACS; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation

From the garden studio we step into the main building. Artworks are strikingly arranged, side by side with artist’s tools, plants, and glassware. It is the summer of 1933, and we are in the studio of the artists Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson at 7 The Mall, Hampstead.

A ‘nest of gentle artists’

Black and white photograph of Barbara Hepworth in her studio. She wears a white skirt and a striped short sleeve top, with her hands clasped in front of her.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), Portrait of Barbara Hepworth, 1933. Vintage gelatin silver print. Bowness Archive. Barbara Hepworth © Bowness; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation
Paul Laib (1869-1958), Portrait of Barbara Hepworth, 1933. Vintage gelatin silver print. Bowness Archive. Barbara Hepworth © Bowness; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation
Black and white photograph of Ben Nicholson. He wears dark trousers and top with a flat cap. He sits posed, with legs crossed, looking away from the camera on his studio table.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), Portrait of Ben Nicholson, 1933. Vintage gelatin silver print. Bowness Archive. Ben Nicholson © All rights reserved, DACS; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation
Paul Laib (1869-1958), Portrait of Ben Nicholson, 1933. Vintage gelatin silver print. Bowness Archive. Ben Nicholson © All rights reserved, DACS; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation

The Mall (later known as Mall Studios) was a purpose-built terrace of artist studios that had been erected in 1872. It comprised of a terrace of eight studios that provided residents with a double-height space, amply lit by an enormous window and skylight. Hepworth moved into 7 The Mall with her first husband, the sculptor John Skeaping, in 1928, and was joined after their separation by her partner Ben Nicholson in the spring of 1932. The two artists lived and worked there until 1939, when they left London for Cornwall shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.

In Hampstead, their community of artists included pre-eminent figures of international modernism such as Naum Gabo, LĂĄszlĂł Moholy Nagy, Piet Mondrian, Henry Moore and Paul Nash, some of whom had fled fascism on the continent. Herbert Read, one of the leading advocates of modern art in 20th century Britain and a resident of 3 The Mall, would later recall this group as a ‘”nest” of gentle artists’, united by a ‘vital intimacy and enthusiasm’.

Black and white photograph of the studio, with three small white sculptures, an easel with a fabric work, and various tools dotted around a table.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), The Studio at 7 The Mall with works by Barbara Hepworth and a fabric by Ben Nicholson, 1933. Vintage gelatin silver print. Photographic Collections, Courtauld Institute of Art. Barbara Hepworth © Bowness; Ben Nicholson © All rights reserved, DACS; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation

Art and life

The years spent at The Mall were a period of intense collaboration and experimentation for the artists. Nicholson stated in 1932, ‘we can live, think & work & move & stay still together as if we were one person’. This symbiosis is vividly apparent in their works of this period, which demonstrate many shared fascinations, such as the tactile qualities achieved through scrubbing, sanding, or incising the surface of a painting or carving, or the face seen in profile, which uniquely recurs across works by both artists in this period. In 1933, Nicholson would carve his first relief, thus bridging the divide between two- and three-dimensional art.

Black and white photograph of a mantlepiece with an abstract artwork hung above, and many small carvings below. One is circled on screen; Nicholson's first relief.
Paul Laib (1869-1958), The mantelpiece at 7 The Mall with paintings by Ben Nicholson, 1933. Modern gelatin silver print from the original glass plate negative. The de Laszlo Collection of Paul Laib Negatives, Courtauld Institute of Art. Ben Nicholson © All rights reserved, DACS; Paul Laib © The de Laszlo Foundation

As much as it was a space dedicated to making, the studio at 7 The Mall also served as a place in which the artists could experiment with methods of display, with decorative items such as fishing floats, striped pencils and even a kazoo prized almost as highly as the artworks themselves. The mantelpiece provided a particularly rich opportunity for these undertakings, with artworks and objects constantly rearranged upon it. As Hepworth reflected in 1934, ‘Objects that we place near to each other, in their different aspects and relationships create new experience’.

‘Where does art end and decoration begin?’

Hepworth and Nicholson’s belief in the significance of the domestic space led them to produce a number of hand-printed fabrics and rugs in this period. At their joint exhibition at Alex. Reid & Lefevre Ltd. in 1933, these were exhibited beside painting, sculpture and collage. Observing the consternation caused by modern art in some quarters, one critic wrote, ‘it is curious to think that many who will appreciate the delightful rugs and fabrics designed by these artists will take exception to the framing as pictures of precisely similar arrangements of line and colour. Where indeed, does art end and decoration begin?’

Photographing 7 The Mall

The photographs seen here were taken by the prolific but today little-known art photographer Paul Laib (1869-1958). Laib ran a busy photographic studio in Thistle Grove, South Kensington, between 1901 and 1958. The studio photographed the work of eminent painters such as John Singer Sargent and Philip de László (who painted the only known likeness of Laib, now in the Courtauld collection), as well as a younger generation of artists that included the sculptor Jacob Epstein and John Piper. Laib’s entire archive of around 22,000 glass plate negatives joined the Courtauld’s extensive photographic collections in 1974 as a gift from the descendants of de László, who had acquired it shortly before.

Laib was commissioned by Hepworth and Nicholson to produce not only photographs of artworks, which were his specialism, but also portraits and photographs of the studio. Taken over several visits to 7 The Mall between 1932 and 1936, the total number of known photographs from this period amounts to around 130. Hepworth and Nicholson were fastidious about photography but regarded Laib highly, with Nicholson describing him as an ‘expert in modern paintings’. The photographs that resulted from their collaboration are among the most evocative and iconic studio images taken in Britain during the 20th century, and record a celebrated episode in the history of modern art.

Painting of Paul Laib, with grey hair and wearing glasses and a black suit. The painting is unfinished; only the face and the upper right part of the background are painted.
Philip de LĂĄszlĂł, Portrait of Paul Laib, 1934, oil on board. Inscribed: ‘during one hour + Ÿ / my Xmas present. De LĂĄszlĂł, 1934, XII.’ Courtauld Institute of Art. Gift of Damon de Laszlo, 1990.

Hepworth and Nicholson: The Hampstead Studio Photographs is on display in the Project Space, Floor 2, from 6 June – 4 October 2026.

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